Fault
by Rerum
Summary: A pivotal moment in the battle against Frieza changes the Dragon Ball Universe. Frieza is killed by Goku's Spirit Bomb, causing new heroes to emerge.
1. Chapter 1

_**A/N:** Hello, and thanks for clicking on this! Some of you might recognize my name from the story "Universe Nine," which I started to write, but haven't really had the chance to update lately. From now on my focus will be on this story, so updates for that one will be sparse. Thanks again for deciding to read this, and enjoy!_

* * *

"_I call upon the trees and the water, the sun, the moon and the stars, the plants and the animals, all living things! Let me share your power!"_

Goku had both his arms thrust into the air, as he pleaded with the life around him on Namek, and the surrounding planets. He wished it didn't have to come to this, but there was no other choice. Goku had fought his hardest in one-on-one combat, but the tyrannical ruler, Frieza, was simply too powerful. Even after multiplying his power several times, it did no more than irk the overlord. Frieza was like no other opponent he had ever faced before. Goku had but one chance left to end the tyrant and his reign: The Spirit Bomb. A technique taught to him by the overseer of the galaxy, King Kai, the spirit bomb allowed Goku to gather the energy from living things, and compile it into one massive attack.

Frieza stared down his opponent, an earth-raised saiyan, who identified himself as Son Goku. Aside from his own family, he was the strongest warrior Frieza had ever encountered. Of course, Frieza was still untouchable for the saiyan. Frieza glared at him as he stood motionless, his arms in the air. This strange pose initially baffled the tyrant, but this quickly changed to anger, as he viewed this as a form of mockery. He grew infuriated with this insolence and prepared to attack, but was stopped by a large green fist colliding with his face. Frieza turned to look at his attacker.

It was that pesky Namekian, who called himself Piccolo. The insolence of the Namekian race was so incessant, vexing Frieza to no end. He blocked the Namekian's next attack, and the two began to trade blows. In a matter of seconds Frieza overpowered him, and knocked him backward harshly. Before he could follow the flying body, two others appeared in front of him.

"KAMEHAMEHA!" "MASENKO HA!" the two screamed, as Frieza found two large ki blasts, one blue, the other yellow, heading towards him. He threw his arms up to block, and the attacks collided with him. To the pair's dismay, Frieza was virtually unscathed. Frieza glared intensely at the attackers, two smaller earthlings. One was Gohan, the half-breed son of Goku, the other was Krillin, their bald human friend. The baldie had sliced off Frieza's tail when in his second form. Yes, he would pay dearly for that, they would all pay. Frieza launched himself at the two, and smashed their heads together.

Goku had gathered all the energy he could from Namek and the surrounding planets. However, he had a hunch that it wouldn't be enough. Not knowing what to do, he turned to his mentor, King Kai, telepathically.

"_King Kai, I don't think this will be enough… Frieza's just too strong!"_

"_I know Goku,"_ King Kai replied, _"Things are looking pretty bleak."_

"_Is there any way I can get more power, King Kai?"_

Just then, the deceased triclops Tien Shinhan, who had been listening along with Yamcha and Chiaotzu, spoke up. "King Kai," he said, "Would it be possible for us to give Goku more energy?"

"That's a great idea Tien!" exclaimed King Kai, "but there's one issue… you boys are going to have to direct your energy towards the planet Namek."

"That's easy!" Chiaotzu said, "We can sense the entire galaxy from up here, and thanks to your telepathic link, finding Namek will be a sinch!"

"Great thinking Chiaotzu!" Yamcha praised.

"Right," King Kai said happily, _"You hear that Goku? We got you s'more juice!"_

"_Yeah, thanks a lot you guys!" _

Using the link as a pathway, the trio forced as much energy as they could to Namek. As this happened, Goku felt the spirit bomb grow significantly. However, even still…

"_...It's still not enough, against someone like Frieza, it might not even make a difference," _Goku stated sadly.

_"If only we had a large mass of people,"_ said King Kai _"Surely then we could gather enough energy to beat him."_

This gave Goku an idea. _"Wait.. King Kai! The way you were able to direct Tien, Yamcha, and Chiaotzu's energies, could you do it for the earth?"_

"_Hmm, in theory, that could work, but it would be extremely difficult,"_ King Kai replied.

"_It doesn't matter,"_ Goku said determinedly,_ "We have to try, it's the only way to put him down for good!"_

"_Alright Goku, but there's one more thing,"_ King Kai sighed, _"this energy can only be gathered willingly… You're going to have to ask the earthlings for their energy."_

"_Okay King Kai,"_ Goku prepared himself, _"Can you extend the link to earth please?"_

"_You betcha!"_ King Kai put Goku through to the earth, _"Alright Goku, whenever you're ready just go for it!"_

"_Thanks King Kai!"_

Kami, the guardian of earth, had been on King Kai's telepathic link the entire time, watching what had transpired. Thus, he knew of the plan even before Goku made his message to the earth. He raised his arms to the sky, instructing his assistant, Mr. Popo, to do the same.

"Here Goku," Kami shouted, "Take our energy and beat the monster that slaughtered both our races!"

After this, Goku made his speech to the earth.

"_People of earth!"_ He yelled telepathically,_ "My name is Son Goku, some may know me as the boy who defeated King Piccolo, or the winner of the twenty-third martial arts tournament. Whatever the case, I need your help!"_

* * *

Dr. Briefs faced the determined group in front of him. They were a hodge-podge bunch, quite odd indeed. For starters, there was the Yamcha's feline friend Puar, and a very piggish pig, Oolong. They were both shape shifters, however the latter of the two could only maintain a transformation for five minutes. Next was a perverted old martial arts master, Roshi. He had mentored Goku when he was a boy. He'd also mentored the father of the last member, perhaps the most dangerous of the lot: Chi Chi, daughter of the Ox-King, and wife of Goku. She carried a vast array of weapons, rifles, machine guns, pistols, and of course, plenty of ammunition. She also had the most dangerous weapon of all: her frying pan. Dr. Briefs couldn't help but be alarmed by her appearance, especially with that murderous look on her face.

The scientist cleared his throat, and then spoke. "Now, are you all sure you want to go through with this?" he asked, "the journey to Namek will be perilous, and there's no telling what dangers you will face when you arrive."

"Of course!" the Ox-Princess glared at Dr. Briefs, "I'm going to go get my baby boy back, no matter the cost, or who gets in my way!"

The others nodded in agreement.

"Alright then," Dr. Briefs said, "follow me."

As the group began to walk towards the Briefs' spaceship, they heard the sound of Goku's voice.

"_I'm currently on the planet Namek, fighting the evil overlord known as Frieza. I cannot defeat him on my own, so please, raise your hands to the sky and lend me your energy!"_

"Hehe, that's m'boy!" Roshi screamed with glee, "C'mon everyone, let's help Goku put down this bastard!"

"Yeah, and now we don't have to go to Namek, what luck!" exclaimed the cowardly Oolong.

Chi Chi still wanted to go to Namek, to make sure herself that Gohan would be okay. However, she eventually agreed with the others, with great reluctance.

"Goku, you'd better bring our baby home safely!" she screamed, as she waved her frying pan in the air, sending her energy to her husband.

* * *

It was but a normal day for Upa, and his father Bora. The father-son duo were chopping firewood just outside of their tent in the land of Korin. Upa decided he would take a short break. He looked up at the sacred tower that he had lived next to his entire life. Over the years, he had grown into a fine, strong young man, bearing great resemblance to his father. Yet, even still, he had been unable to make the trek to the top of Korin's tower.

"One day, I'll reach the top," Upa thought to himself, "Just like Goku."

It seemed as though fate could read his mind, for just then, Upa heard Goku's plea. He turned to his father excitedly.

"Father," Upa said, "Do you think it really is-"

"Yes," Bora answered, before his son could finish, "It is the very man who saved me from death itself." Bora gestured to the scar on his chest.

The pair happily raised their arms into the sky, ecstatic to hear from their friend after several long years.

* * *

Nam watched happily as the children played in the river. Water used to be so sparse here in his village, but in recent years it had become abundant. This was all thanks to Jackie Chun, or Master Roshi, as his true identity was, and especially to Son Goku, who had broken the merry-go-round gum dam that plagued them. It was no surprise that Nam was eager to help when he heard Goku's message.

"Come my friends!" He yelled to his fellow villagers, "It is time we repay our friend for all that he has done for us!"

Nam and his village raised their arms to the sky happily.

* * *

A purple haired girl walked down the city streets aimlessly, peeking into various stores, and other attractions in the city. Launch loved the city life, it was always filled with such interesting things; it never ceased to entertain her! Of course, for her violent personality, this entertainment consisted of robbing the numerous banks and stores.

When Launch heard the voice of her old friend Goku, she was very happy to say the least. She jumped for joy and raised her hands into the air without a second thought.

"Yippee!" she yelled gleefully, and then addressed those around her, "C'mon everyone, let's all help out my friend!"

Most ignored her, though some chuckled, viewing her behaviour as nothing more than childish antics. To them, this "Son Goku" was full of bologna.

As if sensing the skepticism of the people, Goku spoke again.

"_Please everyone, I beg of you! If I don't destroy Frieza now, he'll come after the earth! I'm sure many of you remember the two alien attackers from a couple months ago, that defeated much of the military. They were sent by him! Do you really think you could survive if he attacked? Please, don't let him slaughter you, your children, everything; DON'T LET HIM WIN!"_

This desperate plea a connection to the attacks from months previous did cause some people to stirr.

"You think this is legit?"

"I dunno man, maybe it is! Should we do it?"

One man decided to trust the strange voice, and thrusted his hands into the air. Soon after this, he started panting.

"Damn!" the man yelled, "I feel like I just did a morning jog, all at once!"

When others saw this, they were outraged.

"It's all a scam!"

"He's trying to kill us!"

"Shut up stupid voice, you'll never have our twinkies!"

Launch was very upset with how people were acting. Why couldn't they just have a little faith in Goku? He'd saved the earth countless times!

Just then, there was a small breeze which blew some dust into Launch's face. This caused her to let out a large, high-pitched sneeze.

And that was when all hell broke loose. Now in her blonde, violent state, Launch growled at the people bad mouthing her friend. She swiftly pulled out an AK-47.

"HEY!" she screamed with death on her face, "YOU HEARD THE MAN, SHUT UP AND PUT YOUR HANDS _UP_!"

Needless to say, this city gave a great contribution to Goku's Spirit Bomb, courtesy of the violent blonde.

* * *

Goku could feel all the energy coming from the earth. It was spectacular. If Frieza could survive this energy combined with what he already compiled, Goku would eat a dragon ball.

Gohan, Piccolo, and Krillin were doing their best to hold off Frieza. They were badly beaten, but they had survived. The trio were now barely able to stand, and Frieza was extremely pissed.

"Dammit, why aren't you DEAD?!" Frieza roared, "Argh, screw all of you!" Frieza flew high into the air, "AND THIS PLANET!"

Frieza held a finger in the air, and a dark purple ball of ki to form. Frieza was sick and tired of these beings' constant insolence. He intended to rid himself of these fools by destroying the planet, it was useless without the dragon balls anyways. He would've done it too, if he hadn't been smacked by a giant blue ball of ki.

Having gathered an enormous amount of energy, Goku launched the Spirit Bomb on Frieza. The latter tried to fight back, but there was no stopping it. Taking Frieza down with it, the Spirit Bomb collided with the surface of Namek, causing massive destruction, incinerating rock formations, and parting the seas.

King Kai and his pupils watched in awe from the safety of his planet, as the Spirit Bomb was launched. King Kai began to snicker.

"I guess we'll have to wait a SEA if the Spirit Bomb stops, or should I say FREEZES Frieza!" King Kai began to laugh hysterically. The trio didn't even smirk.

"Aw c'mon guys, I'm SHORE you liked that one!"

"King Kai, now's not the time," Yamcha said.

"Fine fine," King Kai said, pouting, "don't have to be such a BEACH about it…"

There was a blinding flash of light as the Spirit Bomb completed its attack. The seas fell back down, covering most of what was once a battlefield, hiding the ugly scars now present on the surface of Namek.

Frieza was gone.

* * *

_**A/N:** Well, there's the first chapter, I hope you enjoyed it! Also, I think it's necessary to explain some things. I imagine many must be thinking that the Spirit Bomb was way too powerful, as the earth was used to fuel the one that destroyed Kid Buu in Dragon Ball Z. Honestly, I always felt as though the earth shouldn't have been able to generate that much power. To be fair, they did have people like Gohan, Goten, and Trunks who could've provided a large amount of energy. Anyways, in this story, the Spirit Bomb obviously wasn't of that caliber. To fit with the canon, we can assume that many people didn't give their energy to the spirit bomb, considering many people must've thought like those in Launch's city. Since we don't have a murderous blonde in every city, that would leave a lot of energy that Goku wasn't able to collect from the earth. So, that explains that I guess. I'd like to thank you one more time for reading this, and please, review if you get the chance. :)_


	2. Chapter 2

_**A/N: **__Hi all! I hope you enjoy this next chapter! Also, a response to a review:_

_sp - Thanks! I honestly haven't given much thought to Mr. Satan and how he'll play a role in the story, nor even to Cell. I do know that they'll both appear, but definitely farther down the road. As for King Cold, I definitely have some plans for him. He's gonna be pretty mad!_

* * *

The Z Fighters gathered on one of the few rocks that wasn't fully submerged in water after the launch of the spirit bomb. They were exhausted, to say the least.

"D-did it work, dad?" asked Gohan.

"I think so son," Goku responded happily, "but just to be sure..."

"_King Kai,"_ Goku asked telepathically, _"Can you check and see if Frieza is in Otherworld?"_

"_I'll do what I can,"_ King Kai replied.

After a few moments the blue man spoke up.

"_I can sense him in line at the check-in station! Hehe, I can't believe it, you actually destroyed the most feared being in the universe!"_

Goku's face lit up. "We did it guys!" he yelled happily.

"Yeah!" Krillin exclaimed, "Wait to go bro!"

Even Piccolo cracked a smile.

"Haha," Goku smiled, "but we couldn't of done it without all the help we got... speaking of which," Goku reached out to the people of earth one last time.

"_We've done it; Frieza is no more! Thanks everyone, haha, you've saved the Universe!"_

* * *

All around the earth, Goku's many friends and allies celebrated the victory. From Launch, and the very confused and frightened city-dwellers, to Chi Chi and her crew, everyone was ecstatic about the tyrant's downfall.

"I'm so glad my Gohan is safe," Chi Chi sighed in relief, "Thank you, Goku."

* * *

"Ahhh," Goku sighed, "It feels so good to finally take a breather, haha"

"You said it!" Gohan said happily, as he sat down.

"_Hey Goku,"_ King Kai spoke again to him telepathically, _"I just thought I'd let you know that Kami and Popo have gathered earth's dragon balls. We plan on wishing back all the innocent Namekians Frieza and his men killed."_

"That's great King Kai!" Goku responded happily, and turned to his friends, "Hey guys, King Kai says they're gonna bring back all the Namekians killed by Frieza and his men!"

"Yay! That means we get to see Dende again!" Gohan exclaimed.

"Yes," Piccolo smiled, "but make sure you wish back all who were killed by Vegeta as well, he went rogue, so Shenron may not recognize him as one of Frieza's soldiers."

"Great idea Piccolo!" Goku said, and relayed the idea to King Kai, who approved and instructed Kami to do as said.

* * *

Popo had assembled the seven dragon balls in the center of the lookout. They flashed with orange light, practically waiting for the dragon to be summoned.

"Eternal Dragon Shenron, I summon you forth!" Kami yelled, "Rise from your slumber to serve your creator!"

Light exploded from the dragon balls and took the form of a long dragon, whose body was curled and contorted as to not take up too much space. The light turned to green scales.

The eternal dragon had risen.

Shenron looked down at Popo and Kami with his large red eyes, and spoke. "I SHALL GRANT YOU ONE WISH. SPEAK IT NOW!"

"Dragon!" Kami yelled in response, "Bring all those killed by Frieza, his soldiers, and Vegeta back to life!"

"AS YOU SAY, SO IT SHALL BE," Shenron said. His eyes glowed a bright red color for about a minute. Then, he spoke up again, "YOUR WISH HAS BEEN GRANTED! NOW, I SHALL TAKE MY LEAVE!"

With that, there was another flash of light. Shenron disappeared, and the dragon balls scattered across the earth.

* * *

All around Namek, the inhabitants began to awake from their mysterious slumber, known as death.

Dende's eyes shot open. He quickly got up, and stretched. He felt very stiff. He looked around, confused. He was on his own world; that much he could tell. Then it all came back to him, Frieza, the earthlings, and… his death. It was all very strange. He definitely remembered being killed by Frieza's death beam, and yet, here he was. He sensed around for signs of life. To his delight, his brethren had also miraculously returned from death. Even better, he couldn't sense Frieza anymore! Yes, Gohan, Krillin, and Nail must've done it! Dende went airborne and swiftly dashed off to where he could sense his friends.

It wasn't long before the Z Fighters saw Dende flying towards them. Finally he landed, much to the joy of Krillin and Gohan.

"Hey Dende!" Gohan exclaimed happily, "Looks like Shenron was really able to bring everyone back!"

"Shenron?" Dende asked.

"Yeah, thanks to you, Kami came back, with our dragon balls!" Krillin said jubilantly, "He used them to wish back everyone that died in this mess!"

"That's great!" Dende yelled. Then, he noticed how worn out the group seemed to be. "Oh, you must be tired after defeating Frieza!" Dende said, "Here, I can help, let me heal you!"

"Thanks Dende!" Gohan replied, "But you should attend to my dad first, he's in worse shape than all of us!"

Dende nodded, and made his way over to Goku. He focused and placed his hands over the saiyan. A yellow light began to radiate from Dende, and Goku's wounds and fatigue began to melt away.

"It's great to finally meet you," Dende said to Goku, "I've heard many great things about you from Gohan!"

"Thanks haha," Goku smiled, "The pleasure is all mine!"

The friends' happy reunion was interrupted however, as the sky grew dark.

"What's going on?" Goku asked.

"The only time the Namekian sky is ever dark is when the dragon balls are summoned!" Krillin exclaimed, "But Guru died, so…"

"Wait!" Dende interjected, "Guru's death was imminent, but still brought on prematurely by Frieza. So, your wish must've brought him back as well, and Porunga with him!"

"Yeah that makes sense," Gohan said, "We only used two wishes, so we still have one left!"

"That's aweso-" Goku stopped mid-sentence.

"What is it Daddy?" Gohan asked worriedly.

Goku slowly rose into the air. "Do you sense that? It's..." Goku clenched his fists, "Darn it, I've gotta stop him, quick! KAIO-KEN TIMES TWENTY!" Goku yelled and rocketed away.

"What was that all about?" Krillin asked, clearly baffled.

Piccolo spoke up, "I don't know, but, look where he's headed."

The group stared at the direction in which their friend had flown. In the distance, a large, muscular dragon was visible.

* * *

The saiyan prince Vegeta felt as though he was going to suffocate. He began to struggle, searching for air. Suddenly, he felt his hand free itself… from _something._

That's when Vegeta realized he was buried in dirt. Outraged, the prince blasted himself out of the ground. He looked back down at his prison of dirt. It seemed to be something like a makeshift grave.

"_Who would bother to make me a grave, of all people?"_ Vegeta thought to himself. However, he knew the answer instantly.

"_Kakarot."_

"That idiot," he said aloud to himself, "he would."

Just then, the sky of Namek began to darken. He soon realized what this meant.

"I'm not going to let those earth brats ruin my shot at immortality again!"

Vegeta took off towards Porunga as fast as he could. He wasn't going to let this chance slip away. From the looks of it, all the Namekians were back, so he could surely torture one into making his wish for him.

Suddenly, Vegeta felt a massive spike of ki, and a figure flew up in front of him quickly, stopping him short. A violent red aura pulsated around the newcomer. He was wearing a tattered blue shirt, and orange gi pants.

"K-Kakarot," Vegeta let out in a small voice.

"Vegeta," Goku responded, lowering his ki to a comfortable level.

"So, it seems you did it then," Vegeta growled, "avenged our race."

Goku nodded. "I couldn't have done it alone though."

"Tch. Whatever," the prince said curtly, wearing his usual scowl.

"So, what are you doing now?" Goku inquired.

"What's it to you?" Vegeta retorted, becoming greatly irritated.

"Don't think I don't know what you're up to," Goku said cooly, narrowing his eyes, "Look Vegeta, I don't want to have to fight you. But you can't use the dragon balls, and I won't allow you to hurt the Namekians."

Vegeta began to laugh.

"Don't want to fight me? A saiyan doesn't want to _fight_? You're a disgrace Kakarot," Vegeta's laugh became a snarl. "And it was you, a third-class clown, mockery to our heritage, over me, the prince of all saiyans, who avenged our people."

Vegeta flared his ki in anguish, and took a fighting stance.

"I will reclaim my honor Kakarot!" Vegeta screamed, "You won't stop me from achieving my destiny!"

"You sensed my ki just then, didn't you?" Goku asked, "You know you don't stand a chance against me."

Vegeta's ki pulsated violently, as his anger built.

"I DON'T CARE!"

"Then I'm sorry, Vegeta."

* * *

After Dende finished healing the others, the four began to make their way to Porunga. They didn't rush by any means; they knew Goku would guard the dragon balls from any misuse.

"So, what do you think we should wish for?" Krillin asked, "I mean, we can't wish Chiaotzu back, since we did it once, so it's between Tien and Yamcha."

"That's not true actually," Dende said, "Porunga can revive someone as many times as you wish."

"Yay! That means Chiaotzu can come back!" Gohan exclaimed happily.

"Yes, but we still have to make a choice," Piccolo said, "We already used Earth's dragon balls, so we can't wish more than one back for another year, and by then it will be too late."

"Again, no," Dende said, "There is no time limit for revival in Porunga's design."

"Jeez, it seems the only limit to your balls is that they can only bring back one person at a time!" Krillin remarked.

Dende nodded, smiling. "Also, a Namekian year is a lot shorter than yours- only one hundred thirty days!"

This excited everyone.

"Say, if time is no issue, maybe we should undo all the damage done to Namek in the battle," Gohan reasoned.

"Yeah, it's only fair," Krillin said, "And I'm sure the guys won't mind staying with King Kai a few more months."

King Kai had been listening to this conversation, and agreed. He informed them that he'd contact the Namekians in one hundred thirty days to wish back his Pupils.

"_This gives me more time to help them master Kaio-Ken!"_ King Kai told them.

"Wow, thanks a lot you guys!" Dende said happily.

"No, we should thank you for letting us use your dragon balls!" Gohan replied.

Just then, all of Namek shook.

"Looks like Goku and Vegeta are going at it," Piccolo said.

"Go figure," Krillin said sarcastically.

The two powerful saiyans had clashed quite destructively. They were done exchanging words now, and switched to words. Goku quite clearly had the upper hand, though Vegeta was putting up a good fight, as expected from the proud prince. Then, Goku sent him flying towards the ground with a powerful punch.

Vegeta quickly recovered, flying back up to his opponent. With burning rage, he began to charge a Galik Gun.

"Deja vu," Goku thought, and charged his Kamehameha wave

"KAMEHAMEHA!"

"GALIK GUN!"

The two voices boomed, audible from all of Namek.

"I'm guessing we should wait until this is over before using the wish, huh?" Krillin remarked, as he and the others watched in awe.

The two saiyans forced their energy into their attacks, struggling to overtake one another.

"I should be able to beat him like this, but, I don't want to cause any more damage to the planet," Goku reasoned, "I better end this quickly"

"KAIO-KEN!"

Goku's kamehameha wave overtook Vegeta's Galik Gun almost instantly. The two attacks collided with Vegeta, knocking him across the planet.

"Whew!" Goku said, "That takes care of that! Now let's get our wish!"

* * *

By the time Vegeta regained consciousness, the sky was back to its normal green color. He got to his feet and sighed.

Kakarot. That third-class warrior had done it again.

"Why?" Vegeta let out in a small voice.

"My whole life, I lived under that bastard's grip. All my pain, all my anguish, it was because of him. I swore to myself that one day, I'd take him down. Frieza would pay, be cut down, as he had cut down my pride… and my entire race."

Vegeta was yelling now.

"And yet, what happens? That third-class _clown _surpassed me, made me a joke, and was ultimately the one to avenge the genocide of our race. He stole my revenge, now I may never regain my dignity that was stolen by Frieza! I am the prince of all Saiyans! It should have been ME!"

Vegeta slammed his head onto the ground, forming a small crater. He had stopped yelling now, and for the second time in his life, let tears flow from his eyes.

"I have failed… failed my race, and myself. What does this make of me? Am I simply destined, _cursed _to live in the shadow of another? First of Frieza, now of a peasant? Why, why does it have to be this way?"

"Crying like a baby…" Vegeta turned his head to the sky and yelled, "WHAT KIND OF WARRIOR AM I?"

After a couple minutes, Vegeta rose, his tears dried. He let out a deep breath, and rose into the air.

"I'm going to find one of the Ginyus' ships, and get off of this rock."

* * *

The Z Fighters had found Bulma, and had a brief celebration with Dende and the other Namekians. However, they were now getting ready to say goodbye.

"Are you sure you can't stay longer?" Dende asked, "We'd be honored to have you!"

"That's very kind of you to offer," Goku smiled, "But we really should get going, Chi Chi's probably worried sick!"

"Hehe, yeah," Gohan agreed, "I'd hate for her to bust out her frying pan,"

Goku scratched the back of his head and laughed, in a typical Son style.

"I think I'd rather face Frieza himself than have to experience _that_."

Goku waved his hand in a farewell.

"Alright Gohan, Krillin, Bulma, Piccolo, back to earth!"

"Wait."

Goku looked at Piccolo, who had just cut him off.

"Huh?"

"Well… I think I'd like to stay here, for a little while."

Everyone looked at Piccolo in shock.

"B-but, Mister Piccolo!" Gohan exclaimed, clearly distraught by the news, "I'll really miss you!"

Piccolo simply placed his hand on the young hybrid's head and smiled.


End file.
